Microbes Were Just Found in 'Dark Biosphere' Where They Shouldn't Exist
Thousands of feet below Earth's surface and far beyond the reach of sunlight, scientists recently discovered an unexpected form of life: microbes that typically produce their energy through photosynthesis.
Known as cyanobacteria, these hardy microorganisms have been around for billions of years, and though they're tiny, their photosynthesis prowess — in which they use the sun's energy to turn carbon dioxide into food for growth — played a big part in the planet's history. This activity helped shape a young Earth's oxygen-rich atmosphere, laying the groundwork for the emergence of all forms of life.
Today, cyanobacteria occupy a diverse range of environments, from baking deserts to oceans. But everywhere these organisms live, they typically get at least some exposure to sunlight. So, finding these creatures deep underground in total darkness was a big surprise, the researchers said.
In a prior expedition, the scientists had detected a rich subsurface ecosystem in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, an area along the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Spain with enormous reservoirs of sulfide deposits. The researchers performed their second investigation deeper underground, in a previously untouched location at the same site. There, they targeted rocks that they anticipated would contain microbes closely resembling surface bacteria. They did not, however, expect to find cyanobacteria at a depth of 2,011 feet (613 meters). In fact, cyanobacteria were the most abundant organisms in the researchers' samples, the team reported in a new study.
Also at Space.com.
Viable cyanobacteria in the deep continental subsurface (open, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1808176115) (DX)
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday October 05 2018, @01:02PM
When Planet X comes in for a direct hit on Earth's north pole and Spain becomes an asteroid on an interstellar trajectory, how long can these cyanobacteria remain viable in their sulfide reservoir? Long enough to reach another Goldilocks planet?
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday October 05 2018, @01:08PM (4 children)
These recent discoveries of extremophiles in unexpected niches seem to increase the chances that we'll find similar lifeforms on Mars and elsewhere in our solar system. Imagine the implications if we did learn that life is all over our solar system. It would mean the universe is potentially bursting at the seams with life.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday October 05 2018, @02:17PM
Space is big, really big, etc. The amount of life "out there" must be staggeringly huge as compared to the little drop here on Earth, unless we're the butt of some tremendous cosmic joke.
Conversely, life on Earth is concentrated on a skin thinner than the skin of a grape, insignificant, etc... and even if there are millions of tons of active bacteria on Mars, Mars is undeniably many orders of magnitude more sparse with life than Earth.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Friday October 05 2018, @05:12PM (2 children)
See, a good job-interview surprise logic puzzle can weed out silly statements like this.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday October 05 2018, @06:26PM (1 child)
"I can say with absolute certainty I have never killed a man."
So, what you're saying is, "I can say with absolute certainty I...killed a man."?
See what I did there?
Also, you're thread-hopping. 5 Soylent demerits for you!
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday October 06 2018, @08:52PM
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Friday October 05 2018, @02:31PM (2 children)
The Deep Hot Biosphere.
~ Thomas Gold.
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday October 05 2018, @02:58PM
First I read of these beasties was from gold mines in South Africa, I don't think they were cyanobacteria there.
It is a little surprising that cyanobacteria with sulfide processing capability are happy to keep their photosynthesis equipment when not using it, but I suspect the competitive pressure down there is pretty low, as is the mutagenic radiation.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday October 05 2018, @06:27PM
Why am I feeling aroused?
Washington DC delenda est.